


Patience

by historymiss



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-14
Updated: 2012-04-14
Packaged: 2017-11-03 15:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/383092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/historymiss/pseuds/historymiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A birthday drabble for Ashley Williams, space queen of my heart! I liked it enough to want to keep it.</p><p>Shepard visits Ashley in Huerta Memorial hospital with poetry and cake, and makes a promise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Patience

Shepard brings her a cupcake and candle in the hospital, smuggling it in with a furtive expression quite foreign to her face. Ashley chuckles to see it, then groans as the motion pulls at her bruised flesh.

“Skipper, if you just told them who you were you could bring in a whole damn bakery.”

“You never liked the fuss.” Shepard replies, setting the cake down and kissing Ashley’s forehead. “Besides, this way’s more fun.”

“Mm-hm.” Ashley can’t hide the amusement in her voice. She leans forward gingerly and blows out the candle. Shepard cheers, but quietly so the orderlies won’t hear.

“Happy birthday to me, I guess.” Ashley scoops off the icing with a finger. It’s always been her favourite part. “Hell of a way to turn thirty-two.”

“Your next birthday’ll be better.” Shepard sits on her bed and reaches for her hand. “Promise.”

Ash still can’t quite bring herself to take Shepard’s hand- not yet- and peace is not a promise Shepard can make, but she rests her fingers lightly on Shepard’s, just for the space of a breath, to see her smile.

It’s the only birthday present Ashley will get this year, after all.

—

(The card Shepard leaves has a scrap of poetry in it: not Tennyson, but something else, some obscure Earth poet Ash makes a game of looking up:

_A raging rose all summer falls to snow_

_keeps its countenance in frozen soil._

_I must be patient_

_for the breaking of the crust._

_  
_

_I must be patient that you will return_

_When the wind whitens the tender_

_underbelly of the March grass_

_thick as pillows under the oaks._

(From _Dygddu replies to Dafydd_ , by Gillian Clarke))


End file.
